Place de la Concorde

The Place de la Concorde, formerly known as the Place Louis XV and the Place de la Revolution, is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. The 21.3-acre square was completed in 1772, becoming Paris' largest square. The square was initially named for King Louis XV, honoring the king at the time. It was the site of many notable public executions of royalty during the French Revolution, with King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette, Princess Elisabeth of France, Charlotte Corday, Madame du Barry, Georges Danton, Camille Desmoulins, Antoine Lavoisier, Maximilien Robespierre, Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, and Olympe de Gouges being executed in the square during the Reign of Terror. The square was renamed to the "Place de la Revolution" by the revolutionaries, but the French Directory renamed the square to "Place de la Concorde" after the Thermidorian Reaction of 1794, seeking reconciliation after the revolutionary turmoil. In 1833, King Muhammad Ali of Egypt gifted a large obelisk to France, and King Louis Philippe I had it placed in the center of the Place de la Concorde.